TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Police have mounted a manhunt for the owner of a restaurant in Chiayi County who has disappeared following reports that he allegedly mistreated endangered bears and even sold the animals' paws and meat as a delicacy.

The Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) held a press conference on Friday to accuse Lin Chin-hsiu, operator of the Quanyuan Villa and restaurant in Chiayi's Meishan Village, of abusing the protected bears and of possibly selling the meat after one of the bears died.

The environmental and animal rights group yesterday also blasted the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) and other government agencies for condoning the trading of protected animals and called for an investigation to find out if customs authorities have been involved in the smuggling of bear paws into Taiwan.

Chen Yu-min, director of EAST, said that Lin has long advertised bear paw as the signature dish at his restaurant.

She said that two protected animals - a Malay sun bear and a highly endangered Formosan black bear - were being kept in cages. The sun bear had already died, while the black bear required immediate care.

Many tourists and guests had seen the caged bears that were used by Lin as part of business promotion gimmicks.

Chen said that Lin's son, Lin Heng-yi, told undercover EAST members who traveled to the restaurant to investigate that he usually obtains his bear paws from aboriginal people.

However, Chen said that EAST was informed that the villa had been offering dishes made from various protected species for more than two decades and that Lin does not only rely on aboriginal people for his bear paws, but also smuggles them from areas like Myanmar, Vietnam, and China.

Chen also demanded an immediate probe to see if customs officials have been involved in the illicit trade.

In response, officials from the COA and Chiayi County Government led prosecutors, investigators, and police to make an on-site inspection of the Quanyuan Villa yesterday.

They found only the Formosan black bear in a cage and decided to move it to Taipei Zoo for better protection.

In the kitchen of the restaurant, they uncovered animal meat that could belong to Formosan Reeve's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi micrurus).

Lin Heng-yi told investigators that he took over the management of the villa and restaurant from his father two years ago, but he has never offered any dish made from bear meat or other protected animals.

He said his father has been recently visiting some relatives in northern Taiwan without giving details.

Although Lin stressed that he currently only has venison in storage, investigators gathered samples of meat from the kitchen and the menu of the restaurant offering delicacies of Formosan Reeve's muntjac as evidence.

According to a report in the Apple Daily, its reporters recently managed to purchase three bear paws at a price of NT$48,000 from Lin Chin-hsiu by disguising themselves ordinary customers. Director Chen of EAST criticized government agencies' malfeasance in enforcing the wildlife protection regulations.

The government has created loopholes in the rules, including allowing animal owners to make registration with governing agencies without any follow-up actions to make sure the owners have honestly reported the number, she said.

Officials in charge never verify if the animals are the same ones as in the registration.

Under the current rules, owners can keep the offspring of the animal simply after paying a fine.

There is lax administration over the report of deceased animals, enabling perpetrators to sell the carcasses of the protected animals to restaurants at high prices, Chen said.

Chen said agencies at the central and local governments should immediately gather the latest data for the animals with accurate counts and implant them with electronic chips for close monitoring.

New measures should be drawn up concerning the criteria and facilities for the living places of the animals to provide a decent living environment.

Heavier penalties should be added to existing regulations to prohibit illegal breeding of protected animals and stamp out the practice of engaging animal trade disguised as gifts that can pass the animals from hands to hands, she said.

A COA official acknowledged that limited manpower has been a big problem. The number of wildlife conservation officials is limited and that they will have to ask local county and city governments to step up their fight against the outdated practice.

Lin Kuo-chang, chief of the Wildlife Conservation Section of COA's Forestry Bureau, noted that there are "only six members" in charge of wildlife conservation in the bureau and that the Chiayi County Government should be the local authority in charge of wildlife conservation.

As for the smuggling allegations, the Coast Guard Administration is responsible for cracking down on smuggled agricultural and fishery products, live animals, tobacco and alcohol, according to Lin.

He also noted that according to the Wildlife Conservation Law, the country's aboriginal people can apply to hunt animals, including protected ones, but are forbidden from selling or buying them.

Illegal hunters of protected animals, regardless of whether they are aboriginal or not, face prison terms of between six months and five years and fines of over NT$200,000.

People engaged in transactions of protected species can be sentenced to between six months and five years plus fines between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million.